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Mollusks might be nervous: ocean acidification looms. As with rising mercury concentrations in fish, our fossil fueled energy choices are largely to blame. (OK, so maybe mollusks don't have feelings - but we bet you do, oyster-lovers.) What a great reason to support renewable energy!

In this week's EcoNews, we feature a lot of stories involving the management of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. A new study found that common pesticides - like those in RoundUp - might cause antibiotic resistance. And towns are designing wetlands to purify water from pharmaceuticals in sewage.

Whiskey: the water of life and sweet nectar of the gods. It's the stuff of mint juleps, the Wild West and classic cocktails. For something as American as apple pie, whiskey's roots reach back to Ireland and Scotland. Wait - is it whiskey or whisky? We'll get to the bottom of this intoxicating mystery!

It's that time again. Time for our government to put its money where our kids' mouths are. Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act and the current Act expires in September. Learn more about what's on the plate and what you can do.

Drought remains an all-too-common news story in the US but the silver lining is that a growing number of people are curious about how they can cut back on their water waste, and in many cases are willing to think outside the box to do it. Enter the water footprint.

Mollusks might be nervous: ocean acidification looms. As with rising mercury concentrations in fish, our fossil fueled energy choices are largely to blame. (OK, so maybe mollusks don't have feelings - but we bet you do, oyster-lovers.) What a great reason to support renewable energy!

In this week's EcoNews, we feature a lot of stories involving the management of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. A new study found that common pesticides - like those in RoundUp - might cause antibiotic resistance. And towns are designing wetlands to purify water from pharmaceuticals in sewage.

Whiskey: the water of life and sweet nectar of the gods. It's the stuff of mint juleps, the Wild West and classic cocktails. For something as American as apple pie, whiskey's roots reach back to Ireland and Scotland. Wait - is it whiskey or whisky? We'll get to the bottom of this intoxicating mystery!

It's that time again. Time for our government to put its money where our kids' mouths are. Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act and the current Act expires in September. Learn more about what's on the plate and what you can do.

Drought remains an all-too-common news story in the US but the silver lining is that a growing number of people are curious about how they can cut back on their water waste, and in many cases are willing to think outside the box to do it. Enter the water footprint.

Today is the first day of spring, so take heart - even if we have a few more chilly days and a stray snowstorm to welcome it, warmer, sunnier days will be here soon! This week and weekend, we're celebrating Fix a Leak Week and World Water Day, with plenty of fitting Eco News on tap.

According to the EPA, household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually nationwide, so each spring they ask everyone to take a week and hunt down the drips and streams of wasted water. Fix-a-Leak Week is March 16-22, and it's a great time to find and fix your leaks so you can save valuable water and money all year long.

We're still buzzing with excitement after The Meatrix: Relaunched made its debut this week. There are plenty of great animations in this week's Eco News demonstrating how much water goes into our food - and what's happening to water amidst droughts and climate change.

Also known as cassava or tapioca, yuca is the fourth most important starch in the world, prepared in a wide variety of ways from South America to Asia. Fun fact: if you love bubble tea, you may have sucked up the powdered and pearled flesh of this woody root without even realizing it.

Now that you've freed your mind from the Meatrix, you can help fight for sustainable family farms. This will not only produce better food and improved animal welfare, but reduce impacts on our water and energy systems too.

Since 2003, The Meatrix has educated over 30 million consumers about the problems caused by factory farms. Although many have since opted out of the industrial meat system, factory farming has only expanded. Watch the new chapter of The Meatrix and find out what you can do.

There's been some surprisingly good news this week out of powerful companies and governmental bodies. For one, McDonald's chose to phase out human antibiotics from its chicken supply. And lawmakers offered bills to expand farm-to-school programs, a community voted down oil drilling and a company dropped plans for a giant iron mine.

"If we can redefine what we believe is desirable in food we can reduce waste and, at the same time, embrace and eat delicious, nutritious food." Food & Wine magazine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin will bring "ugly" produce front and center at TEDxManhattan 2015, happening this Saturday.

This Saturday, Ali Partovi will speak at TEDxManhattan 2015 along with many other influential movers and shakers of the food movement. Focusing on debunking misperceptions of organic and sustainable food that hold the movement back, Ali will show us why sustainable agriculture is economically and politically feasible.

We may know that "pancake syrup" is the margarine of maple syrup: the cheap imitator, the industrial substitute. "Pure" syrup is as unadulterated a product as it gets, and is all-American, to boot. Its production is natural, but it requires many steps and much patience to produce, and it only happens once a year. Because maple syrup, you see, is not simply tree sap.